A toddler who was playing on the dining table of her north Calcutta home died after an accidental fall on Wednesday evening. Her mother and another relative were sitting on chairs at the table.

Pranshi Saraf, a year and 10 months old, was the only child of her parents, born 10 years after their marriage, family members said.

The accident occurred around 6.30pm in the family’s drawing-cum-dining room at their ninth-floor apartment at 10A Madan Chatterjee Lane.

Pranshi, who was playing on the table, slipped and fell onto the mosaic floor between two chairs. She was taken to the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata, where doctors declared her dead, police said. She had died by the time she reached the hospital, according to sources. Her body was sent for post-mortem on Thursday.

“She accidentally fell from the dining table to the floor and fell ill. She was taken to the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata and was declared dead by the emergency medical officer on July 30 at about 7pm,” said Rupesh Kumar, joint commissioner (crime), Kolkata Police.

A family member said Pranshi was standing on the table while her mother and another relative were sitting nearby. “She slipped and fell between the two chairs and landed on the floor,” the relative said, requesting anonymity.

An officer involved in the investigation said the child may have hit her head on one of the corners of a chair.

The bereaved parents were inconsolable and declined to speak on Thursday.

The police have started a case of unnatural death. “Till now, we have not come across anything that would hint towards foul play,” said an officer of Girish Park police station.

While it is not uncommon for children to fall from tables or beds at home, such a fall turning fatal has raised concern among parents of toddlers.

The police pointed out that protective headgear is available in the market, especially for outdoor use, but many parents say young children often refuse to wear them.

“The only solution is to remain extremely vigilant until children reach an age where they can understand the consequences of their movements,” said a senior officer at Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar.